American Spaces Philippines – Cagayan de Oro successfully played host to the 2022 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) International Space Apps Challenge on October 1 and 2 at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.

Ten (10) hackathon teams from Northern Mindanao (three from CDO and seven from Iligan) competed in the said challenge.

The CDO chapter was led by Rule Redondo (XU Libraries and American Spaces Philippines - CDO Director), Dr Estrella Cabudoy (American Spaces Philippines - CDO Coordinator), and Shayryl Ramos-Sabal (XU Computer Studies faculty member and mentor for the CDO hackathon teams). 

NASA Space Apps Challenge is an annual international hackathon for coders, scientists, designers, storytellers, makers, builders, technologists, and other creatives around the world, where they engage with NASA’s free and open data to address real-world problems. 

Real-life solutions to real-life problems

“Project Minerva” uses AI technology to narrow down and filter search queries in the NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS) database. The AI helps identify the words inside the search results and show the entities needed by the user.

Project Minerva was under the Preservers of Knowledge team, led by Fidel Ivan Racines, with members Athena Jaca, Richard Ching, and Eloiza Tagarda.

“The Sun at your Fingertips” by Library Maker Space team made use of the data from the Parker Solar Probe, which has enabled us to learn more about solar effects in space and on Earth. The challenge was to create an interactive tool to represent the data in “a new and inviting way that improves public knowledge and understanding of space weather.”

It was headed by Victor Santos Jr III, with members Leonita Sumalinog, Grace Aganan, and Mary Jane Santos.

StarVars by CSS Techmakers explored ways on how technology could introduce concepts that are usually accessible online in text or videos. StarVars is “a kid-friendly learning tool, an Augmented Reality-enabled adventure mat that introduces students to stellar variability.”

The CSS Techmakers team is composed of leader Charie Jane Abao and member Shandy Balagulan.

Participants gathered face-to-face over a 48-hour bootcamp to solve challenges submitted by NASA personnel. The first day was dedicated to learning how to use NASA databases while the second day was the contest proper and project pitching.

On October 2, the winners were announced: First place went to “Baybayin” (a web-based app that can warn LGUs of an observed rapid coastal degradation in their community and help in deciding the best approach to solving the problem through simulation); second place went to “eTapon” (an app that can book a pickup of their trash at a desired time); and the third place went to “Topo” (an app that can analyze the effect of climate change on a global scale).

The winning teams will represent the CDO-Iligan chapter and received cash prizes worth PHP10,000, PHP7,000, and PHP5,000, respectively.

Diverse and borderless collaborations

By using NASA’s data to solve the challenges, Space Apps inspires collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.

Its mission is “to leverage this interest to encourage the growth and diversity of the next generation of scientists, technologists, designers, storytellers, and engineers.”

Space Apps is a NASA-led initiative organized in collaboration with Booz Allen Hamilton, Mindgrub, SecondMuse, and the NASA Open Innovation Applied Sciences Program.

After the local hackathons, project submissions will be judged by space agency experts, and winners are selected for the 10 Global Awards.

Space Apps also relies on a vast community of partners and volunteers, including space agency partners and local leads from around the world, who organize and host events in different communities.

The CDO-Iligan event is co-hosted by FAB LAB Mindanao of the Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology and American Spaces Philippines - Cagayan de Oro of Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan with the support of FAB LABs Philippines, ILIGANiCE, and the Department of Science and Technology. It was funded by the US Embassy in the Philippines through American Spaces Philippines.

Being an annual event, the organizers are also inviting individuals and teams, especially those from Cagayan de Oro, who are interested in addressing earth-and-space-related challenges to join the 2023 NASA Space Apps Challenge. ∎